Cross country teams place sixth at Friends meet

Goddard, Kan. (September 11, 2010) - The JBU men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the 2010 Friends Invitational over the weekend. The men finished sixth out of 11 teams in the 8K, and the women placed sixth out of 11 teams in the 5K.

For the men, senior Zach Ray finished first for JBU and 20th overall in a time of 28:53. Sophomore Sam Young finished 30th with a time of 29:28, and sophomore Moses Clark finished 47th with a time of 30:43.

On the women side, freshman Melissa Roth, freshman Valerie Kliewer, and senior Chandra Sooter finished one, two, and three for JBU with times of 20:58, 21:02, and 21:03 respectively. Overall they finished 17, 18, and 19th.

“This was a great showing for only our second meet, and we did much better this week despite the fact it was very warm and humid,” said head coach Matt Pearson. “It was very helpful to run against competitors at our own talent ability, and for both teams I was particularly impressed with their ability to run as a team, staying together and pulling each other through much of the race.”

Up next, both teams travel to Joplin, Mo. to compete in the Missouri Southern Stampede on Saturday, September 18.